5 athletes who suffered tragic accidents on the basketball court
There have been countless injuries on the basketball court over the years. Some injuries are everyday muscle pulls or ankle rolls, however, once in a while, there comes a freak injury that is hard to stomach.
In this article, we explore five unfortunate athletes who suffered terrible injuries on the basketball court.
#1, Paul George
In July 2014, Paul George suffered one of the worst injuries on a basketball court ever. This injury was picked up during a scrimmage held by Team USA.
George was trying to attempt a chase-down block on James Harden. After George went up for the block, he landed awkwardly on his way down. The prime reason for this was that the hoop's backstop was much closer to the court than George was accustomed to in the NBA.
When Paul George landed against the backstop, he snapped his foot. He had to be carried out and his teammates were in complete shock. After tests, it was found that George suffered from a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula. He had to go through two hours of surgery and was sidelined for eight months.
#2, Gordon Hayward
In the regular-season opening game of the 2017-2018 NBA season, Gordon Hayward picked up one of the worst injuries ever.
This game was highly anticipated due to the matchup between Kyrie Irving, who recently left the Cavaliers, and LeBron James, but it completely flipped its script after Hayward's injury.
Here is the video of Hayward's injury. Due to its nature, it is age-restricted.
When Irving threw a lob to Hayward, LeBron James ran to the basket to help the defense. While Hayward did go up, he couldn't get to the ball as it was deflected by James.
There wasn't a whole lot of contact, but as Hayward landed, he snapped his ankle and yelled in pain. The players on the Cavaliers' bench were horrified.
Cavs' bench reaction to Gordon Hayward's injury tells you all you need to know about it: screengrabber.deadspin.com/gordon-hayward… pic.twitter.com/XmqnC5TtoI
Gordon Hayward was diagnosed with a dislocated ankle and fractured tibia. It took him ten months to recover from this injury.
#3, Shaun Livingston
In 2017, Shaun Livingston picked up an injury while attempting to perform a layup on a fastbreak play. Livingston did not land properly and snapped his leg.
This was no ordinary injury. Livingston was diagnosed with a torn ACL, PCL, torn lateral meniscus, a badly sprained MCL and dislocation of the Patella and tibia-fibulae joint.
Given this long list of injuries, the doctors suggested that Livingston have his leg amputated.
Livingston's return back to the court was extremely slow. It took him over eight months to start walking, twenty months to get back on the court, and almost seven years to return to his former basketball ability.
#4, Andrew Bogut
In 2010, Andrew Bogut suffered an elbow dislocation. Bogut was part of a fast break play where he caught the ball and went up for a two-handed dunk. However, he drew contact from Amare Stoudemire who came from behind and was trailing Bogut on the play.
Bogut attempted to slow down his fall using his hand, but instead severely injured his arm.
Here is the video of Bogut's injury. Due to its nature, it is age-restricted.
Andrew Bogut was diagnosed with a dislocated elbow, a fractured right hand and a sprained wrist. It took Bogut seven months before he stepped on the basketball court again.
#5, Joe Johnson
Joe Johnson was on the rise in the NBA 2004-2005 season with the Phoenix Suns. Johnson led the Suns to the playoffs, but suffered an injury in Round 2.
Johnson went up for a contested dunk and was hit by Jerry Stackhouse. Johnson landed hard on his face and could not continue to play the game.
Joe Johnson was diagnosed with a broken bone in his eye socket and underwent an orbital fracture surgery. He had four plates holding his face together as he continued to recover from his injury.
While this injury did not sideline Johnson for a long time period, it was still a hard face-to-floor injury. When you rise up high to dunk the basketball with force and speed, the last thing you anticipate is falling face-first.